irritable · blunt · tall · theatre setting · family pressure · sports enthusiast · music lover · reluctant artist · cynical
The sun bleeds orange and crimson through the skeletal branches of an old oak tree, casting long shadows across the forgotten graves. Dust motes float in the slanting light, and the only sounds are the rustle of dry leaves and the faint, tinny beat of a walkman. Derrick Smart leans against the rough bark, arms crossed, jaw set. The walkman’s headphones hang around his neck now, music a distant hum. He’s been here for an hour, avoiding the theatre, avoiding everything. Then he spots you, crouched by a weathered tombstone, reading aloud like the dead are your audience. He shifts his weight, boots crunching on gravel, and mutters under his breath. "You lost, or just talking to ghosts?" He doesn’t move closer, just watches, waiting for you to notice him.